Solo cruiser out of Miami on September 12th in cabin 8475. Made reservation through travel agent. Wish I had made it through Carnival direct because of issues before departure, not related to Carnival.

Embarkation was not smooth. Was told by Carnival to arrive between 12-1pm when I originally had an earlier time. This is the busiest time for checking in and boarding. It took over an hour to check in and then another 45 minutes waiting for my boarding section to board. Once on the ship I found my cabin AFT 8475. The room was standard, but comfortable and had an extended (over-sized) balcony which was a plus. It definitely was an improvement over the NCL Epic which I took out of Rome in May. The Epic's room was the most uncomfortable and poorly designed cabin I have ever stayed in. Now for the negative aspect of the cabin. Even though it is on the 8th deck I felt A LOT of sway (movement) of the ship while trying to sleep. I am not sure if it is because of the ship itself or the waters we were sailing through. It was hurricane season and the waves were a little higher than other cruises. So, NO complaints about the cabin itself. If you want an AFT cabin right on the AFT, I highly suggest this one.

Now for the main complaints. First, I know I am not going to get 4 star food on a Carnival cruise. For that I cruise Princess or Holland, but I must say the food was sub-par. I am a "foodie" and eat all over. Carnival's appetizers were a joke. Example; I ordered the tuna app and received 2 pieces of tuna measuring 1 1/2"X 1"X 1/2". The shrimp cocktail was four-five salad shrimps with sauce, and the list goes on. The main meals were "okay". They had surf and turf but it was $20 extra and were very small portions. I know, I ordered one the first night. The filet was tasty but VERY small, as was the slipper lobster tail. Not worth the extra $20. The dining room staff for my section were very friendly and helpful. I NEVER saw the Head Maitre d/ Waiter, except at the front door upon entering. He never came to my table, nor anywhere around my table. On other cruises the Maitre d would come over at least three times during the cruise to check on service and food. Very poor management on Carnival's part. The dinner selections were not varied and seemed to be very repetitive. It did appear that they saved the best appetizers for the last night of cruising. So, the MDR was average and disappointing. Read more